Wound tube with string loop



May 12, 1970 c. K. DUNLAP, JR., E-TAL WOUND TUBE WITH STRING LOOP Filed Aug. 12, 1968 Zlb INVENTORS CHARLES K. DUNLAP JR.

HURLEY R. BROOKING 0 ATTORNEY United States Patent US. Cl. 138-103 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A multi-ply paper tube of fibrous material with the plies wound in overlying relationship with adhesive therebetween and having a seam on the outer surface of the tube under which end portions of a string loop are positioned and retained to provide a tag attaching loop extending outwardly from the tube outer surface.

This invention relates to a wound tube and more particularly to such a tube having a string loop for attaching a tag or the like.

Multi-ply wound tubes are in common use today for winding sheet material such as paper, cloth, plastic and the like and such tubes are generally formed of paper strips spirally wound in overlying relationship with adhesive therebetween to form a continuous multi-ply tube which is severed into suitable lengths to form spirally wound tubes or cores on the outer surface of which sheet material is wound. In the use of such wound tubes as a core or carrier for cloth or the like, it is highly desirable to provide some means for identifying the specific material wound on the core, such sheet material generally being manufactured in a wide variety of types, composition, color, etc. It has been found that indicia carrying tags are one of the most suitable ways for sheet material identification and by providing a string loop on such tubes to which the tag may be attached, ready identification of the packaged sheet material may be obtained. However, the only satisfactory arrangement in present day use for attaching such tag carrying loops to tubes is to provide a hole in the tube wall by punching or the like which permits a loop of string to be strung through the hole for subsequent attachment of the tag to the loop. However, it can be easily seen that since such tubes are produced in large quantities at a high production rate, particularly spiral tubes, the extra operation of punching holes in such tubes as well as attaching string loops to the tubes through such holes require additional time and labor as well as requiring additional machinery generally quite complicated in construction adding considerably to the production costs for such tubes.

Accordingly, a primary object of this invention is to provide a new and novel tube having a string loop securely attached thereto.

Another object of this invention is to provide a new and novel tube having a string loop which may be fixedly secured to the tube during the tube manufacturing operation.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a new and novel multi-ply paper tube having a string loop attached thereto which eliminates the need for punching loop attaching holes in the tube wall and which permits the loop to be fixedly secured to the tube simultaneously with the tube manufacturing operation.

This invention further provides a new and novel spirally wound paper tube having a string loop attached there to for tag carrying purposes which enables the loop to be automatically secured to the tube Without interrup- 3,511,281 Patented May 12, 1970 tion in tube production and with a minimum of additional machinery and which permits the production of such a tube at a high rate and with virtually no increase in the cost of the tube and in which the loop is securely retained on the tube so as to strongly resist separation of the loop during use.

Other objects and advantages of the invention Will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing.

The object stated above and other related objects are accomplished by providing a multi-ply paper tube wound from a plurality of strips of fibrous material arranged in overlying relationship with adhesive therebetween the outer surface of which is provided with a spiral seam. A folded length of strand material is provided, the free ends of which are disposed between a pair of adjacent overlying plies in retained relationship therewith with a continuous portion of the folded length of strand material extending outwardly from the outer surface of the tube to form a tag attaching loop.

The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its organization and method of operation may be best understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the tube of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially along line 22 of FIG. 1 in the direction of the arrows; and

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially along line 33 of FIG. 1 in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now to the drawing, there is shown a tube T having ends 9, 10 which is spirally wound in the well-known manner from a plurality of strips of fibrous material such as paper with the strips being arranged in overlying staggered relationship with adhesive therebetween. In the illustrated embodiment, the tube has a side wall 11 which incorporates a plurality of plies 12-14. Each of the plies 12-14 is wound with the edges of adjacent convolutions forming a seam such as an inner seam 16 for the inner ply 12 and an outer seam 17 for the outer ply 14 which, in the specific embodiment illustrated, extend spirally throughout the outer surface 18 of the tube T. It should be understood that although the specific embodiment of the invention shown is a spirally wound paper tube, the tube T of the invention may be a convolutely wound tube in accordance with the novel features of the invention.

As specifically illustrative of the invention, a folded length of strand material such as conventional twine or string designated generally by the numeral 21 is provided which has has free ends 21a, 21b. As shown, the string free ends 21a, 21b are positioned in adjacent relationship and are disposed between a pair of adjacent overlying plies of the tube T. In the illustrated embodiment, the string ends 21a, 21b are disposed between the outer ply 14 and underlying ply 13 in retained relationship therewith with the remaining continuous portion of the string 21 forming a loop L extending eXteriorly of the tube outer surface 18 through the outer spiral seam 17.

It can be understood that as a result of the conventional spiral winding operation employed in the manufacture of tube T, both the adhesive between the plies 13, 14 and the tightly wound condition of these plies securely retain the string free ends 21a, 21b between the plies 13, 14 resisting any pulling force exerted on the loop L such as might occur during attachment of the tag thereto or inadvertently. Furthermore, the string free ends 21a, 21b are directed towards the center of the tube T so that any pulling force exerted on the loop L will be resisted throughout the length of the string free ends as Well as eliminating any tendency to peel back the outer ply 14 adjacent the seam 17 at the location where the string ends 21a, 2112 project through the seam 17.

It will be noted that the string 21 is preferably positioned adjacent one of the tube ends such as tube end so that the loop L will extend outwardly and downwardly from the tube end 10 when sheet material such as cloth is wound on the tube outer surface 18. Similarly, where a convolutely wound tube having a longitudinally extending outer seam is to be employed rather than the spiral tube shown in the illustrated embodiment, the free ends of a string such as a string 21 is positioned similarly under the outer terminal end of the ply from which such a convolute tube is wound adjacent one end of the tube.

It can be seen that in the manufacture of the tube of the invention, the spiral tube T may be wound in the conventional manner by winding paper strips on an elongated mandrel (not shown) to form a continuous spiral tube which is continuously advanced axially on the winding mandrel and which is subsequently cut into lengths forming tubes such as tube T. Immediately prior to the wrapping of the convolution 14' of outer ply 14 around the Winding mandrel, adhesive having been introduced between the plies 13, 14 such as by coating the outer surface of the underlying ply 13, the free ends 21a, 21b of the string 21 are positioned on the outer surface of the ply 13 and subsequently covered by the outer ply convolution 14 as shown.

As the next convolution 14" of the outer ply 14 is Wrapped around the winding mandrel with the adjacent edges of the convolutions 14, 14" in overlying or in abutting relationship such as shown best in FIG. 2 to form the butt seam 17, the loop L extends through the seam 17 exteriorly of the tube to provide the loop L for subsequent tag attachment.

By suitable registration, the continuous tube from which tubes such as tube T are formed is severed close to the loop L as shown thereby forming the tube end 10. The other end of the tube T is similarly formed by previously severing the continuous tube to form the end 9, this out also forming the end 10 of the preceding tube T. Thus, the tube T has the loop L secured thereto for subsequent use as a core for sheet material such as cloth or the like with the loop L being available for subsequent attachment of an identification tag or the like to identify the cloth wound on the tube T.

While there has been provided what at present is considered to be the preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed 1. A wound tube having an attached loop comprising, in combination, a plurality of plies of fibrous material wound in overlying relationship with adhesive therebetween, the outermost ply of said wound plies forming a seam on the outer surface of said tube, a folded length of strand material, said folded length of strand material having adjacent portions disposed between a pair of adjacent overlying plies in retained relationship therewith and extending through said outer seam with a continuous portion of said folded length of strand material extending exteriorly of said tube to form a loop.

2. A tube in accordance with claim 1 wherein said loop is positioned adjacent one end of said tube.

3. A tube in accordance with claim 1 wherein said tube is formed from a plurality of strips of fibrous material spirally wound in overlying relationship with the edges of adjacent convolutions of each wound strip forming a ply having a spiral seam and wherein said folded length of strand material extends through the spiral seam of the outer ply on the outer surface of said tube.

4. A tube in accordance with claim 3 wherein said folded length of strand material is provided with a pair of free ends, said free ends being disposed in side-by-side relationship between said outer ply and the underlying ply of said wound plies with the remaining continuous portion of said folded length of strand material projecting outwardly from said outer spiral seam to form said loop.

5. A tube in accordance with claim 4 wherein said free ends extend towards the center of said tube.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,216,337 2/1917 McCulloch 138104 1,936,417 11/1933 Ware 229-93 2,638,820 5/1953 Barnes 22993 X 2,677,165 5/1954 Copenhaver et al. 138144 X 3,367,370 2/1968 Sherlock 138-104 LOUIS K. RIMRODT, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

